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Chopin and Debussy were two seekers of the absolute who, in their art distilled to the quintessence, succeeded in erasing all traces of their workmanship and their supreme compositional technique. The connections between them are as numerous as they are subtle, never obvious, yet so very profound. The achievement of Javier Perianes here is to have teased out the artistic thread linking two geniuses who soar high above their respective centuries.
'Such natures as, when they come in contact, at once lay hold of each other, and mutually affect one another, we speak of as having an affinity for the other', wrote Goethe in Elective Affinities, in an attempt to apply the principles that govern chemical reactions to the world of emotions. Were it possible to ask them, it is most certain that Fryderyk Chopin and Claude Debussy would have gladly conceded to this project bursting with affinities and complicities.“
„Two seekers of the absolute who, through an art distilled to its quintessence, were able to erase all trails of their work and of their extraordinary compositional technique. The connections between them are as numerous as they are subtle, never obvious yet tremendously profound: Javier Perianes's accomplishment is to retrieve the artistic thread that links these two geniuses rising over their respective centuries.“
Javier Perianes, piano

Javier Perianes
a native of Andalusia, is one of the most exciting pianists of the new generation. Though steeped in the world-renowned Spanish repertory (Falla, Granados, Albéniz), he does not limit himself to it and likes to spotlight less often played composers such as Federico Mompou and Manuel Blasco de Nebra (1750-84), to each of whom he has devoted a recording released on his label harmonia mundi.
Alongside his roots in the music of his country, Javier Perianes is also a committed exponent of the great international piano repertory (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Grieg, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel). His discs of Schubert, Debussy and Chopin, and Mendelssohn have earned acclaim from press and public alike. His most recent recording, devoted to Grieg’s Piano Concerto and a selection of Lyric Pieces, was widely praised by the critics and described as ‘a new benchmark’ by Classica, which awarded it a ‘Choc’; it was also Editor’s Choice in Gramophone and Maestro in Pianistes magazine. The leading musical venues have invited him to appear as soloist in recital or with such prestigious orchestras as the Vienna Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Chicago, Boston and BBC Symphony Orchestras and conductors Zubin Mehta, Yuri Temirkanov, Charles Dutoit and Daniel Barenboim. An all-round musician, he also enjoys playing chamber music performing regularly with the Cuarteto Quiroga and also the violist Tabea Zimmermann.
In 2012 Javier Perianes received the National Music Prize awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture.
Cuarteto Quiroga
Described by The New York Times as giving ‘Exquisite: precise, perfectly balanced, interpretively fresh performances, couched in consistently warm hues’, the Spanish string quartet Cuarteto Quiroga, appointed quartet- in-residence in charge of the Royal Collection of decorated Stradivarius instruments at Madrid’s Royal Palace, has established itself as one of the most dynamic and unique quartets of its generation, winning international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for its distinctive personality as well as its bold and original approach to the string quartet repertory.
The quartet studied with Professors Rainer Schmidt, Walter Levin and Hatto Beyerle. Other important in uences are Johannes Meissl, György Kurtág, András Keller, Eberhard Feltz and Ferenc Rados.
The ensemble won prizes at several major international competitions (Bordeaux, Paolo Borciani, Geneva, Beijing, Fnapec-Paris, Palau-Barcelona) and appears regularly worldwide (Wigmore Hall London, Philharmonie Berlin, Frick Collection, Lincoln Center New York, DaCamera Los Angeles, National Gallery Washington DC, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, ProQuartet Paris, Martinů Hall Prague, Nybrokajen Stockholm, Auditorio Nacional Madrid, Heidelberger Frühling, Stadtcasino Basel, Teatro Mayor Bogotá, etc.). It is also the recipient of the Spanish National Radio Culture Prize. Frequent stage partners include Javier Perianes, Valentin Erben, Richard Lester, Alain Meunier, David Kadouch, Jonathan Brown and Vladimir Mendelssohn. Strongly committed to teaching chamber music, the quartet holds the String Quartet Chair at Zaragoza’s Conservatorio Superior (CSMA) and is invited to give masterclasses in Europe, the USA and Latin America. Its CDs ‘Statements’ (Haydn, Webern, Sollima), ‘(R)evolutions’ (Schoenberg, Webern, Berg) and ‘Frei aber einsam: the Opus 51 Quartets of Brahms’ (COBRA) have all been acclaimed by the international press and awarded several prizes and distinctions.
Mr Sierra would like to thank the heirs of Paola Modiano for generously giving him the opportunity to play the 1682 Nicoló Amati violin ‘Arnold Rosé’.